LaTasha Colander

Olympic Track and Field Gold Medalist

Working with Mr. Checkout

LaTasha Colander is a retired track and field sprinter who competed internationally for the United States. In 1994, on athletic scholarship, Colander enrolled at, and later graduated from, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 1994, in the 100 m hurdles, Colander was the USA Juniors champion, and placed second in the World Junior Champs. Yet soon, she switched to sprints. In 2000 and 2001, she was the U.S. champion in the 400 m. In April 2000, her team set the women’s world record in the 4 × 200 m relay, a record standing over 15 years onward.

In the 2000 Olympics, Colander won a Gold Medal in the 4 × 400 m relay. Upon her teammate Marion Jones’s 2007 admission of illegal doping, the International Olympic Committee stripped the whole team’s medals; in 2010, however, by a successful appeal, all team members except Jones had their medals restored.

Colander missed the 2001 World Championships because of a quadriceps injury. In 2003, she switched concentration to the 100 m, and won the 2004 US Olympic Trials in this shorter event. At the 2005 World Championships, she placed fifth in the 200 meters.

In 2000, Colander had established the LC Treasures Within Foundation, its mission to strengthen kids, families, and the world through education, sports, and spirituality.